Jan 12, 2017 6 min read

PITTSBURGH – The drive began innocently enough with an 8-yard Le’Veon Bell run behind guard Ramon Foster.

By the time it ended 10 plays later, Bell and the offensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers had drained the life out of the defense of the Miami Dolphins.

Ten plays, all Bell runs, for 78 yards and a 20-3 Pittsburgh lead.

The game wasn’t quite over, but the Steelers had just showed the Dolphins they could move the ball through the air, as they did on their first two scoring drives, or on the ground. And there was little Miami could do to stop it.

“It was a blast,” said Steelers guard David DeCastro. “It’s kind of how you draw it up, 10 runs, and to finish the way we did, it’s great.”

Bell finished the drive in Pittsburgh’s 30-12 Wild Card playoff victory over the Dolphins with a 1-yard touchdown run. But it was as unique a 1-yard run as you’ll ever see.

Appearing in his first career postseason game, Bell took the handoff from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, came to a complete standstill for a full second three yards behind the line of scrimmage and then burst through a hole that had developed, bulling his way into the end zone through Miami linebacker Kiko Alonso.

The Steelers have leaned on Bell heavily in the second half of this season and will continue to do so in their AFC Divisional playoff game Sunday at Kansas City. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

From an early age, running backs are taught to hit a hole hard and quickly. Stutter-stepping and stopping in the hole are strongly discouraged.

But Bell isn’t just any running back. And while many try to compare him to other running backs in NFL history, it might be time to realize he’s incomparable in the way he runs.

During the broadcast of the win over Miami, CBS color analyst Phil Simms dubbed Bell “The Great Hesitater.”

But his teammates know he is more than just patient.

“He brings a little bit of everything to the table,” Roethlisberger said. “There are times when he is patient. I am standing back there and I am watching and am like, ‘Uh, are you going to go anytime here?’ But he is so patient, and then when he needs to put his head down and run someone over, he does that. He is a powerful back. If he gets one-on-one with a guy in the hole or just beyond, I get the best view in the house.”

Roethlisberger has gotten to watch Bell a lot during the Steelers’ eight-game winning streak. In seven games – Bell and Roethlisberger, among others, sat out the team’s meaningless regular-season finale – Roethlisberger has handed the ball to Bell 190 times.

The running back has gained 1,002 yards on those carries, with another 263 yards on 32 receptions.

He’s averaged 143.1 rushing yards per game and 180.7 total yards during that period. O.J. Simpson holds the NFL record with an average of 143.1 rushing yards per game in 1973 (over a 14-game season).

Because he missed four games during the season – three because of suspension, one on a coach’s decision – Bell had no shot at any league all-time yardage records.

But he did lead the AFC in yards from scrimmage and he’ll have to settle for breaking the Steelers’ regular-season and postseason single-game rushing records, two things he’s accomplished in the past month. He gained a team-record 236 yards rushing on 38 carries in a 27-20 win at Buffalo Dec. 11 and broke Franco Harris’ team playoff record with 167 yards on 29 carries against the Dolphins.

“It kind of blew me away,” said Bell of breaking Harris’ playoff record. “It’s really humbling. It’s a great achievement. It just goes to show you how good this team has been. The offensive line has gotten better over the course of the year. We’re getting there and it’s really showing.”

The offensive line takes just as much pleasure in Bell breaking records as he does. More importantly, they know a good rushing day by Bell usually adds up to a win. Pittsburgh is 11-2 when Bell rushes for 100 or more yards in a game. They are 11-0 when Bell has 100 yards rushing and Roethlisberger also starts the game.

“You do,” said DeCastro in the pride the line takes in Bell’s accomplishments. “Breaking the records we have this year, you don’t want to think too much about it. At the same time, there’s a lot of history behind those. That’s pretty amazing. You’re pretty grateful to be doing that.”

Not that it’s necessarily easy. Much like blocking for Roethlisberger early in his career, when he would hold the ball and run around in the pocket, the line doesn’t always know what to expect from Bell.

But they also know he can make them look good, as well.

“I think he plays football different than a lot of running backs,” said left tackle Alejandro Villanueva. “Some people might say that it’s harder to block for him. But I also look at it as if you miss your block, you’re going to have a chance to get back on your guy because he’s going to patiently wait and hit the hole.

“It’s not all too bad for an offensive lineman to have to hold your block. As long as you stay square and make your best effort, he’s going to make you look good. That’s what makes him great. You can’t say that it’s harder to block for him because he also makes it easy for you.”

He also could make things easier against the Chiefs.

In three career games against Kansas City, Bell has 328 yards and has averaged nearly six yards per carry. Included in that was an 18-carry, 144-yard effort back in a 43-14 Week 4 win by the Steelers over Kansas City in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers know it will be more difficult beating the Chiefs a second time, especially in Kansas City, but having a healthy Bell gives them plenty of confidence.

“We have to control the line of scrimmage,” said Gilbert. “If we want to sit back there and throw the ball however many times, these guys are really good. We have to be two-dimensional, not just be one. If we control the line of scrimmage and run the ball, I’m sure they’ll add into the box and we’ll free up the receivers to make big plays. We can’t just talk about that. We have to do that.”

Who knows? It might even include another record-breaking performance or 10-play touchdown drive that in completely accomplished on the ground.

“That was an awesome feeling,” said Gilbert. “It has to be the best feeling as an offensive lineman, knowing that you can control the line of scrimmage and they can’t stop it. When you have that much surge off the line of scrimmage, it kills the defense. It demoralizes them. I don’t want to use that word, but it does. It’s an offensive lineman’s dream.”